The Great HTF Music Challenge (1 Viewer)

[BobO'Link]

Count Basie, "Count 'Em" - This is the kind of stuff where I can lean back, close my eyes, and get lost in the music. Nice choice.

 

[JohnRice]

Count Basie, "Count 'Em" - This is the kind of stuff where I can lean back, close my eyes, and get lost in the music. Nice choice.

I can't express how much I LOVE Basie!

 

[John Dirk]

Count Basie - Count 'Em

Oh yea! Count me in. See what I did there?

I would consider this more "Jazz-infused" Big Band, which is one of my very favorite genres.

As I've stated before, I'm not a big Jazz fan but I do like certain material. Here's one artist I tend to favor.

Grover Washington Jr. - Mister Magic​

 

[BobO'Link]

Grover Washington Jr., "Mister Magic" - Oh yeah... love his music, too. Another very good selection.

Here he is with Bill Withers on "Just the Two of Us":

 

[BobO'Link]

Way back in post #130 I posted the title track from Ramsey Lewis' Sun Goddess album. Here's another great track from that album...

Ramsey Lewis - "Love Song":



And how about some George Benson - "Breezin'":

 

[BobO'Link]

And some more Jazz fusion from

Mahavishnu Orchestra - "Lila's Dance":

 

[John Dirk]

Ramsey Lewis - "Love Song":

I must be evolving because I'm looking forward to hearing this on my main system tomorrow evening. Even as I listen in my office I'm intrigued by all of the nuanced sounds. This is one of the reasons I love techno and [yes] what you would probably refer to as Disco or Electronic Futurism.

Here's an example of one of my favorites from the latter. Don't worry, based on our history here I don't expect most to like it but I do because of the nuanced sound layers, percussion and synth. At about 3:20 the beat is broken down and then rebuilt one layer at a time. As @JohnRice might say, this "cranks well."

The Jonzun Crew - Space Is The Place


George Benson - "Breezin'":
This one I know and love. I think my disdain for Jazz lies with the older stuff, or maybe it's just that, as mentioned above, I'm growing up a bit. I usually want something a bit more engaging but, in the right setting I do enjoy tracks like this for their melodies and instrumentation.

Mahavishnu Orchestra - "Lila's Dance":
This one's a bit more disjointed than the others and reminds me of the more traditional stuff I referred to above. It's still got some great overall sections but I probably would have given up on it before getting to them if this weren't a critical listen.

 

[Malcolm R]

Here's an example of one of my favorites from the latter. Don't worry, based on our history here I don't expect most to like it but I do because of the nuanced sound layers, percussion and synth. At about 3:20 the beat is broken down and then rebuilt one layer at a time. As @JohnRice might say, this "cranks well."

Very nice. I also love the layers and different sounds, similar to a lot of the synth pop I enjoy.

I like this extended mix of Kylie Minogue's "Step Back In Time" (UK #4, AUS #5 1990) for similar reasons. They do something similar by building up at the start, then around 4:40 it drops everything except the bass drum and brings the mix back piece-by-piece.

 

[JohnRice]

Very nice. I also love the layers and different sounds, similar to a lot of the synth pop I enjoy.

I like this extended mix of Kylie Minogue's "Step Back In Time" (UK #4, AUS #5 1990) for similar reasons. They do something similar by building up at the start, then around 4:40 it drops everything except the bass drum and brings the mix back piece-by-piece.

Holy freaking Frankie Goes To Hollywood!!

 

[JohnRice]

...and I raise you...

Kylie Minogue - Locomotion.

 

[Malcolm R]

...and I raise you...

Kylie Minogue - Locomotion.

One of her biggest worldwide hits, to be sure, and introduced her to the world. But I find I enjoy some of her songs from the later PWL years more than the early stuff.

"What Do I Have To Do" (UK #6, 1991)


.
"Finer Feelings" (UK #11, 1992)


.
And she's still going and going, like the Energizer bunny. Her latest just-released single (from her 15th studio album), a duet with Olly Alexander/Years & Years, "A Second To Midnight":

 

[JohnRice]

One of her biggest worldwide hits, to be sure, and introduced her to the world. But I find I enjoy some of her songs from the later PWL years more than the early stuff.

"What Do I Have To Do" (UK #6, 1991)


.
"Finer Feelings" (UK #11, 1992)


.
And she's still going and going, like the Energizer bunny. Her latest just-released single (from her 15th studio album), a duet with Olly Alexander of Years & Years, "A Second To Midnight":

Sorry Malcolm. Just not my cup of tea.

 

[JohnRice]

Count Basie - Count 'Em

Oh yea! Count me in. See what I did there?

I would consider this more "Jazz-infused" Big Band, which is one of my very favorite genres.

I find this comment interesting, because to me Big Band is pure Jazz, down to its core. The very heart of Jazz through and through. There are many other forms of Jazz as well, of course, but Big Band IS Jazz.

 

[JohnRice]

Grover Washington Jr. - Mister Magic​

Here he is with Bill Withers on "Just the Two of Us":

Ramsey Lewis - "Love Song":

George Benson - "Breezin'":

Mahavishnu Orchestra - "Lila's Dance":

There was a time when I listened to so much pop and fusion jazz that I think it burned me out. Breezin' is probably my favorite of these. I know I enjoyed several of Grover's releases as well and I can still see enjoying most if not all of these after a tiring day of work, or just when I was annoyed and needed to chill a bit.

Any Al Jarreau fans here?

 

[John Dirk]

Very nice. I also love the layers and different sounds, similar to a lot of the synth pop I enjoy.

I like this extended mix of Kylie Minogue's "Step Back In Time" (UK #4, AUS #5 1990) for similar reasons. They do something similar by building up at the start, then around 4:40 it drops everything except the bass drum and brings the mix back piece-by-piece.

The basic drum rhythm was a bit on the simple side but, yea, I loved the overall concept. This would also be one of those rare cases where I would say the video absolutely stole the show.

 

[John Dirk]

...and I raise you...

Kylie Minogue - Locomotion.

A surprisingly competent cover. Little Eva would likely be proud.

 

[John Dirk]

What Do I Have To Do" (UK #6, 1991)
I like her voice and overall style but this one is over-produced to the point of sounding somewhat generic within the general club dance category.

"Finer Feelings" (UK #11, 1992)
Again, she has a nice voice and I'm glad she chose to feature it more on this track as opposed to an overpowering drum track. She's like Madonna except with real voice talent. Nice selection.

Years & Years, "A Second To Midnight":
There's that generic drum beat again yet this is easily my favorite of the selections presented. Pairing her with another singer just further highlights her vocal talent.

 

[John Dirk]

I find this comment interesting, because to me Big Band is pure Jazz, down to its core. The very heart of Jazz through and through. There are many other forms of Jazz as well, of course, but Big Band IS Jazz.

Well, this just illustrates the problem with labels. What I think of as Jazz is usually slow, even-paced instrumentals with little to no dynamic range or transitions. Big Band, on the other hand is all about dynamic range, transitions and style. What I've come to learn is when you throw out the labels you learn what you really like and you'll probably be surprised by what you discover. That's why I originally referred to this thread as a challenge.

Any Al Jarreau fans here?

You've just been volunteered. Post some tracks and let's find out.

 

[BobO'Link]

Well... go to sleep and things kind of explode...

The Jonzun Crew, "Space Is The Place" - It's interesting but feels like it's not complete. For me it's like a lot of the stuff from Kraftwerk where the same thing is treated like the Energizer Bunny - it keeps on going, but has little change to make things more interesting. Even with the "deconstruction" segment nothing really changes other than the removal and adding back of instruments. For example, "Mister Magic from Grover Washington Jr. has an incredibly repetitive rhythm track but makes it interesting with the layers on top which add the much needed variety.

There are times when repetitive tracks like "Space Is The Place" work for me but I absolutely have to be in the right frame of mind. Even then, a couple usually suffice to fill that "need." Any more than that and it turns into background noise and I often don't notice when it ends (i.e. there'll be silence for several minutes before I realize the music's stopped).

 

[BobO'Link]

A huge techno hit in 1974... I kind of liked the single and purchased the album to discover the album version is quite different. I mostly like it but it only gets a listen every 10-15 years or so and I absolutely have to be in the right frame of mind.

Kraftwerk - "Autobahn":



For the less adventurous, the single edit: